This invention relates to a multi-purpose stadium, and more particularly, to a multi-purpose stadium which not only maximizes the number of events which may occur simultaneously therein, but also permits the activities to occur indoors or outdoors depending upon weather conditions.
This multi-purpose stadium permits field events such as football, soccer and/or baseball to occur for reasons of customs and/or rules on natural turf and depending upon weather conditions, either outdoors or indoors. These requirements must be balanced against the economic requirement that a multi-purpose stadium facility maximize the different types of events it can attract i. e., concerts, conventions, trade shows, tractor pulls, indoor arena events, and outdoor field events which preferably occur on natural turf.
In the past, in order to provide for varying conditions under which an event may take place, stadiums, notably in Montreal and Toronto, have been provided with retractable roofs. In these stadia, the playing field is composed of artificial turf, and as such, it must be rolled up and stored to permit the stadium to be used for other events, such as concerts, trade shows, etc. The set-up involved in storing the artificial turf is, however, extremely labor intensive. Additionally, since the roof has a solid surface and is not transparent to the sunlight, the playing field cannot be composed of natural turf. Due to custom and potential athletic injury concerns, it is desirable to have a natural grass surface for various sporting events, i.e. football, baseball and soccer, etc.
Typically, a municipality will have separate facilities for indoor events, such as basketball, concerts and trade shows, and outdoor events, such as soccer, baseball, and football games. As a result thereof, these facilities, even though multi-purpose, do not allow for a number of events to occur simultaneously therein, and hence, lease revenues to the owner of the stadium are diminished. Accordingly, and since space is limited in urban areas, it is desirable to provide a multi-purpose stadium wherein these types of separate facilities can be combined within a unitary multi-purpose stadium.
Additionally, in many metropolitan areas, the only land available to construct a multi-purpose stadium is parkland. Obviously, if a typical stadium is built in a park, the park size is diminished thereby promoting public objection to construction of the stadium. It is therefore also desirable to provide a stadium which does not disturb the park environment.